Religion - Karaite Denomination
Karaite Judaism is a Jewish denomination
characterized by reliance on the Tanakh as the sole scripture, and
rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmuds) as halakha
(Legally Binding, i.e. required religious practice). The word "Karaite"
comes from the Hebrew word קְרָאִים (Standard Hebrew Qəraʾim; Tiberian
Hebrew Qərāʾîm), meaning "Readers (of Scripture)". This name was chosen
by the adherents of Karaite Judaism to distinguish themselves from the
adherents of Rabbinic Judaism.
The adherents of Karaite Judaism rely on the Tanakh as the sole
scripture. When interpreting scripture Karaites strive to adhere only to
the p'shat (plain meaning) of the text. This is in contrast to
Rabbinical Judiasm, which employs the methods of p'shat, remez
(implication or clue), drash ("deep interpretation," based on changing
the meaning of the words and the way they are read to another meaning)
and sod ("secret," the mystical meaning of the text, drawing on the
Kabbalah). There are approximately 50,000 adherents to Karaite Judaism,
most of whom reside in Israel. Karaite Judaism is in a period of growth
and renewal in the USA. However, exact numbers are not known, as most
Karaites have not participated in any religious censuses.
Karaite beliefs
Karaites and the Rabbinic Oral law
Karaites do not accept the Rabbinic Oral Law as halakha because:
* They do not believe that the Oral Law is mentioned in the Tanakh.
* They believe that all the Torah was written down during the lifetime
of Moses and Joshua, and that there is only one Torah.
* They believe the Oral Law "adds to" or "takes away from" the plain
meaning of the text.
* They believe it to contradict the text at times.
* The Mishnah and Talmud record the opinions of Rabbis who disagree with
each other. The Rabbis explain that whenever there are such
disagreements, "both opinions are the words of the living God". Karaites
maintain that it is unreasonable to believe that God would contradict
Himself.
* The Tanach reports that the written Torah was lost and forgotten for
over 50 years and only rediscovered by the Temple priests (2Ki 22:8,
2Chr 34:15). Karaites believe that it is inconceivable that an Oral Law
could have been remembered when the written Law was forgotten.
Theoretically, most historical Karaites would not object to the idea of
a body of interpretation of the Torah, along with extensions and
development of halakha. The disagreement arises over the perceived
exaltation of the Talmud and the writings of the Rabbis above that of
the Torah, so that, in the view of Karaites, many traditions and customs
are kept which are in contradiction with those expressed in the Torah.
This is seen especially by the fact that the Karaites also have their
own traditions which have been passed down from their ancestors and
religious authorities. This is known as "Sevel HaYerushah", which means
" the yoke of inheritance." It is kept primarily by traditional Egyptian
Karaites, and any tradition therein is rejected if it is found to be in
disagreement with the Bible.
An example of full prostration as shown in the American Karaite Siddur
Enlarge
An example of full prostration as shown in the American Karaite Siddur
For those Karaites who do not have such an "inheritance" or "tradition,"
they tend to rely heavily upon the Tanakh and those practices found
within it, as well as adapting Biblical practices into their own
cultural context. This lack of tradition could be for many reasons; one
is that many modern Karaites are the result of the Karaite revival in
large part due to the World Karaite Movement, a revival group started by
Nehemia Gordon and Meir Rekhavi in the early 90's. Another may be the
fact that Karaite communities are small and generally isolated that its
members generally adopt the customs of their host country. A prime
example of this would be the beginnings of cultural assimilation of
traditional Israeli Karaites into mainstream society.
The Calendar
Karaites rely on observations of the Moon to begin their months, and on
observations of barley (called the Aviv) to begin their years, as
deduced from statements in the Torah (Aviv is both a marker for the
first month of the Biblical Hebrew calendar, and the next-to-last stage
in the growth of barley, which it was in during the plague of hail
shortly before the first Passover). Before quick worldwide communication
was available, Karaites in the Diaspora used a variety of methods to
determine the calendar, including observation and calculation, along
with reports from Jerusalem.
The Sabbath
As with other Jews, during the Jewish Sabbath Karaites attend synagogues
to worship and to offer prayers. However, most Karaites refrain from
sexual relations on the day. Their prayerbooks are comprised almost
completely of biblical passages. Karaites often practice full
prostration during prayers, which is practiced by most Jews only on Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Tzitzit
Karaites wear tzitzit with blue threads in them. In contrast to Rabbinic
Judaism, they believe that the techelet (the "blue"), does not refer to
a specific dye. The traditions of Rabbinic Judaism used in the knotting
of the tzitzit are not followed, so the appearance of Karaite tzitzit is
quite different from that of Rabbanite tzitzit. Contrary to some myths,
Karaites do not hang tzitzit on their walls.
Tefillin
Contrary to the beliefs of some, Karaites do not wear tefillin in any
form. According to the World Karaite Movement, the Biblical passages
cited for this practice are metaphorical, and mean to "remember the
Torah always and treasure it." This is because the commandment in
scripture is "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be
upon thy heart"..."And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand,
and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes." (Deuteronomy 6:5,9)
Since words cannot be on one's heart, or bound on one's hand, the entire
passage is understood metaphorically.
Mezuzot
Like Tefillin, Karaites interpret the scripture that mandates inscribing
the Law on doorposts and city gates as a metaphorical admonition,
specifically, to keep the Law at home and away. This is because the
previous commandment in the same passage is the source for Tefillin for
Rabbinic Judaism, and is understood metaphorically due to the language.
As a result, the entire passage is understood as a metaphor. Therefore,
they do not put up mezuzot, although many Karaites do have a small
plaque with the Aseret haDibrot on their doorposts. In Israel, in an
effort to make other Jews comfortable, many Karaites there also put up
mezuzot.
History of Karaism
The Golden Age of Karaism
The "Golden Age of Karaism" was a period of time in which a large number
of Karaitic works were produced. The amount of Jews affiliating with
Karaism comprised approximately 40% of Jewry, and debates between
Rabbinic and Karaitic leaders were not uncommon. Most notable are the
writings of Rabbi Saadia Gaon and his attacks on Karaism, which
eventually led to a permanent split between Karaitic and Rabbinic
communities.
Russian Karaites
During the 18th century, Russian Karaites spread many myths externally
which freed them from various anti-Semitic laws that affected other
Jews. Avraham Firkovitch helped establish these ideas by forging
tombstones in Crimea which bear inscriptions stating that those buried
were of the "lost tribes" of Israel. Other myths included the invention
of the Khazar origin, or that they were not Jewish, among others. These
actions were intended to convince the Russian Czar that they could not
have killed Jesus, which was an underlying reason for the anti-semitic
laws.
Intermarriages between Karaite and Rabbinic Jews, however, still took
place. Russian Karaites relate that because they were prohibited from
learning their ancestors' beliefs under communism, many were taught and
believed these myths. Because of the above, and a ruling by Orthodox
Rabbis intended to save the Karaites, the Nazis of the World War II
generally left the Karaites alone during the Holocaust.
Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites
The Karaim (Turkish Qaraylar) are a distinctive Karaite community from
the Crimea. Their Turkic language is called Karaim. Some Karaim
resettled in Lithuania during the 1400's.
Spanish Karaites
During the 10th and 11th Centuries, Karaite Jews in Spain had become "a
force to be reckoned with." In Castile, High ranking Rabbinical Jews
such as Joseph Ferrizuel persuaded its King to allow persecution of
Karaite Jews. It became common during the 11th century for a Karaite to
be flogged to death if he or she did not abandon his or her beliefs.
With Royal Assistance, Rabbi Todros Halevi and Joseph ibn Alfakhar
successfully drove out the surviving Karaite population.
The Karaites today
See also List of Karaite Jews
In Israel, the Karaite Jewish leadership is directed by a group called
"Universal Karaite Judaism". Most of the members of its Board of Hakhams
are of Egyptian Jewish descent.
There are about 2,000 Karaites living in the United States. Most live
near the only Karaite synagogue in the United States, which is located
in Daly City, California.
Karaite writings
Karaism has produced a vast library of commentaries and polemics,
especially during its "Golden Age." These writings prompted new and
complete defenses of the Talmud and Mishna, the culmination of these in
the writings of Saadia Gaon and his criticisms of Karaism. Though he
opposed Karaism, the Rabbinic commentator Abraham Ibn Ezra regularly
quoted Karaite commentators, particularly Yefet ben Ali, to the degree
that a legend exists among some Karaites that Ibn Ezra was ben Ali's
student.
The most well-known Karaite polemic is חיזוק אמונה (Faith Strengthened),
a comprehensive Counter-Missionary polemic which was later translated
into Latin under the name of 'The Fiery Darts of Satan'. Many
Counter-Missionary materials produced today are based upon or cover the
same themes as this book. Scholarly studies of Karaite writings are
still in their infancy.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaite_Judaism
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